PROFILE
NAME: BRENDAN MILCS
BORN: 12th August 1961, Burnie, Tasmania
STARTED SURFING: At about 13years old
YEARS HANDCRAFTING SURFBOARDS: 24

I started making surfboards under my parents ' house by about the age of 16. My first inspiration came from Kippa Nunn, who was making OSPRAY SURFBOARDS on the west coast of Tasmania . From that time, all I wanted to do was make surfboards.

I moved to Shoalhaven Heads, N.S.W in 1978 and pestered my way into CHRISTY SURFBOARDS owned by master craftsman, AL WILSON. I did not care what he got me to do, I just wanted to learn any part of surfboard manufacture. I then moved to the Gold Coast and Al got me a job with Nev, by this time I wanted to be the best polisher in the world.

I then went to Burleigh Heads Surf Co, and Surfmore where I learned from Peter Mo. By this time I was sanding, glassing, polishing, fin foiling and doing some shaping. I was influenced by Richard Harvey, Dick VanStraalen, Peter Droyun and Mike Perry.

Mike was a U.S. shaper and I was in awe of his shaping skills. I used to borrow his shaping tools and he soon told me that I should get my own if I was going to be a shaper.

By about 1982, I had my first MILCH decals printed and Peter Mo was selling my boards out of his shop, Surfmore, at Tugun, Q.L.D

I then moved to Carool, up in the Gold Coast hinterland and made boards out of the back shed. While up in the hills, I was given the opportunity to go to Victoria , to shape for, Kim Thompson, of Watercooled. This man was the best surfboard maker I had ever seen. He was able to go into any room and rip. I stayed there for 4 months, or so, learning heaps, and moved back to the Gold Coast (water temp still too cold).

I then moved back into town and started work for Robert Webster, at Newline Surfboards. It was there I became reacquainted with Nev, but this time he needed me to shape for him. It was in this time that I really got to develop my shaping skills. I was free-shaping as well as doing profile finish-off's.

I was then approached by Jim Banks to shape for him. He wanted me to free-shape, i.e. using the planer, not profiles, and that was what I wanted to improve on. He had a cool setup at Currumbin and we shaped a lot of boards, mostly over 7”foot.

After being on the Gold Coast for about 5 years, it was time to hit Bali again. It was this trip that led me to Islander Classic. They had a lot of work, but could not get it all done. I would surf in the mornings and start sanding, polishing, glassing etc, in the afternoons.

I had always wanted to go to Hawaii and did so in 1990, with a friend called “Pineapple”. Pretty cool, getting picked up at the airport by Dennis Pang, and headed straight to the North Shore . It was there I met James Turnbull, who had a shaping bay right on Sunset Beach, at Country Surfboards, owned by Ed Surfoss. It was here, that I could shape my boards.

The next year, I worked for Blue Hawaii. Glenn Minami was a top shaper, with most surfers having at least 1 Minami, amongst their Quivers. I was so stoked shaping for Blue Hawaii (it also made surfing a bit easier, knowing a few of the crew). Hawaii was a great learning curve as I got to see and feel boards that you just don't see that much anywhere else in the world. I started to pick up some orders on the North Shore , and also shaped some boards for Bevy, Gaily, and a few local crew. I kept going back for 2 more years, from September to December, and back to the Gold Coast for summer. Throwing in trips to Tassie and Bali , it was a pretty busy time.

I also worked out of Funzone with Eddie Hooper. I was still shaping for Banksy and had good town support in Coolangatta with guys like Mic Stewart, Steve Bayer, Ross Marshall, Darren McGoo, Bevo, Jason Johnson, Gaily, Hoppy, and a host of other young surfers.

I still wanted to see W.A, so I had a trailer built, gassed up the Holden Commodore, and drove over to check it out. What a drive! I surfed Yokes Peninsula to Penong (Caves), Denmark, Margaret River, Kalbarri, Bluff, Narloo (Tombstones), and back to Margaret River .I started work with Martin Littlewood at Delta Surfboards. There was not too many surfboards to shape, but he did have a lot of sailboards to make, so off I went shaping sailboards (unreal).They were just like a surfboard, only lot's more of it, double railbands, and huge foil to play with. I stayed in W.A until December, and then headed back across the Nullabor to Tassie to see the family for Christmas.

I ended up setting a factory up at Marrawah (west coast of Tassie), my sort of hometown. I just used to make a few boards a week, and I did all the work myself. It was such a cruisy place, with everything a surfer could wish for, waves from 2-15” feet, and nobody out .We stayed there for 4 years, but decided to go back to the Gold Coast.

I started back with Brothers Neilson, who I had shaped for in earlier years, also I started doing shapes for HIC Australia as well as Lightning Bolt Surfboards and Gerry Lopez International.

That brings us to now. 25 years later, MILCH is PASSION 8 (my NEW label). My factory and shop are in South Tweed Heads, Northern N.S.W. Come and see us we can do “EVERYTHING” ever associated with surfboards!
I also currently make boards for;

M.P UNDERGROUND
 

"So if you're looking for someone qualified and competent to shape your boards.....
Look no further....."

Cheers
Brendan
"A young man from a small town, with a very large imagination"
John Prine Song